life sentence

noun

: the punishment of being sent to prison for the rest of one's life

He received a life sentence for his crimes.

Examples of life sentence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web California’s three-strikes law mandates that individuals convicted of three or more serious or violent felonies receive a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years. —

Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2024 His name was Joseph Roach Jr., and less than three years earlier, the judge had helped free him from a life sentence for murder. —

Sasha Issenberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024 Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, who was charged as an adult, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after previously pleading guilty to murdering four students and injuring seven others, including a teacher. —

Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 7 Sep. 2024 If found guilty, Sangha will serve a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a possible life sentence. —

Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for life sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'life sentence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.